This invention relates to building structures, and in particular to a molding or the like for trimming, insulating and sealing between two separate elements of a building structure.
When buildings are constructed, tolerances are necessary to accommodate variations between building elements, such as between walls and windows, walls and floors, and walls and doors. However, when tolerances occur, gaps between the two building elements provide a natural path for the influx or egress of air, which is quite undesirable when the building is either heated or cooled to maintain a certain creature comfort in the building different from the ambient temperature at the building exterior.
Typically, and in particular in home construction, gaps on outside walls between windows, doors and floors are either caulked or stuffed with fiberglass insulation, or both, to largely prevent air filtration and provide insulation between the two building elements. However, caulking tends to age and crack with time, and is impractical for large gaps. While stuffed fiberglass insulation provides a seal for such gaps, one must be knowledgable when stuffing the fiberglass, for if it is packed too tightly, the insulation value is greatly diminished, and if it is not packed properly, air can still flow past the fiberglass, therefore rendering it ineffective. In addition, any time that such fiberglass must be used, its installation is time-consuming and therefore labor-intensive, a costly endeavor which is to be avoided if possible. Therefore, many times such gaps are not filled or sealed at all.
Foams have become popular for filling such gaps in building structures, the foam normally being applied from a pressurized source to the gap where the foam expands many times its volume in the gap to fill the gap. However, again, applying the foam is a time-consuming endeavor, which makes it quite expensive. In addition, the foam itself is expensive and because of uneven expansion, it normally must be manually trimmed after it drys, again adding to the cost of the installation. In addition, since the foam normally adheres to whatever surface it touches, if errors are made or if future remodeling occurs, the foam is difficult to remove.
Many efforts have, in the past, been made to provide a trim of some nature between two building sections, normally between a window or door and the adjacent wall structure. Such efforts typically involve a unique style or design of the trim element or a special trim material, such as metal. Examples of such prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,724,136; 3,520,085; 2,124,775 and 3,256,663. In the latter-mentioned patent, sealing strips are employed, but seal to a single element of an insulated wall, such as to the wall or to the floor. The metal nature of the channel holding the sealing material is heat conductive and difficult to work with while the sealing material itself does not extend beyond the surface of the metal in which it is located, thus providing an ineffective seal should there be surface imperfections or a failure for elements to align exactly.
Other efforts of the prior art to develop a sealing material usually involve a unique method of affixing or mounting a trimmed piece. The following patents are examplary of such methods: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,840,203; 2,124,775; 3,305,983; 3,298,147; 4,150,517 and British Pat. No. 845,026 of Aug. 17, 1960.
In other efforts to provide insulation by the prior art, the insulation or weather stripping is visible, providing an unsightly feature if, as is typical, the insulation is not meant to be in full view. The following patents exemplify such structure: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,520,085; 2,840,203; 3,239,977; 2,124,775 and 3,167,823 (which in addition, is not directed to a building structure).